They fled from "Vermilion" without looking back. The night trembled from the recent noise, as if the street hadn't yet realized the scene was over. Kang Jihwan opened the car door first, and Ryu Seonyeong silently sat next to him. The car sped off, leaving a streak of light and the smell of burnt rubber behind it.
They drove for a long time without speaking. Only breathing mixed with the hum of the engine, and rare neon reflections on the glass. When it became clear that no one was following them, Ryu suddenly laughed quietly—a short, almost soundless laugh, but somehow wild, like a person who had survived an explosion and couldn't believe he was alive.
— What's wrong with you? — Jihwan asked, his eyes fixed on the road.
Ryu exhaled through his laughter:
— I just... only now realized that you are truly insane. Didn't you think to ask first before hitting him?
Jihwan grimaced.
— That wasn't a person. And you know him?
Ryu wearily rubbed his forehead.
— You could say so. Thanks to you.
— Me?
— He's the one I met at the Mariah casino. Back then, he said I was his ideal. Wanted to take me "home."
Jihwan abruptly gripped the steering wheel. His face became dangerously calm.
— Wanted to take... you?
— Yes, — Ryu chuckled slightly. — Romance at the level of a clinic for the insane.
The silence that hung was heavier than any argument. Jihwan swallowed, then said softly:
— I'm sorry.
— For what?
— For Mariah. If I hadn't dragged you into that trip back then, you wouldn't have met that bastard.
— I think I would have met him anyway. People like him always find who they want.
Jihwan didn't reply. The car raced along the night highway, and the red lights in the distance formed threads, like the nerves of the city.
— But how did you even end up there? — Ryu asked after a pause. — You said you'd be busy.
— Yi Hun called, — Jihwan replied. — Said there were strange people at "Vermilion" and that you might be in danger. When I arrived, the staff was already gone. They ran off.
— Damn, — Ryu exhaled and immediately pulled out his phone. — Wait a minute.
He dialed Yi Hun. The latter answered on the first ring.
— ...Listen, — Ryu quickly spoke, — I know this is crazy, but the place needs to be shut down. Yes, right now. Fire everyone. Tell Kichul to disappear, change his name and number. If anyone asks—he doesn't know me. And stay far away from those who came today. At any cost.
After finishing, he put his phone away and noticed Jihwan frowning.
— Who is that guy? — he asked quietly.
Ryu hesitated for a moment.
— I think... that's Oh Rian.
The steering wheel jerked, and the car stopped, the screech of tires cutting through the night. They were thrown forward, but the seatbelts held them. For a few seconds, they just breathed—heavily, hoarsely.
— Repeat that, — Jihwan said. — What did you just say?
— I'm not a hundred percent sure, but... yes. Most likely, it's him.
Jihwan was silent for a long time. His eyes were filled not with rage—but despair. Ryu knew why. Jihwan's goal was to kill Oh Rian. If he had known this earlier, he wouldn't have stopped. And he would have died.
— I didn't tell you because... if you had tried, — Ryu spoke softly but clearly, — it would have ended badly. He didn't come alone. He had people, and you would have simply... been caught.
Jihwan nodded, looking straight ahead. Then he exhaled:
— Did he call himself that name?
— No. But too many coincidences.
— Prove it.
Ryu looked down.
— In Mariah, he gave me what they call a ticket. One of those given only to the final five participants.
Jihwan sharply turned his head.
— Are you talking about the diamond communicator?
Ryu nodded.
— Yes. I got it before the final. I didn't understand what it was then. And only recently learned that he was messaging me through it.
— He... messaged you?
— I didn't know. The phone was turned off.
Jihwan's face was frozen. He drove silently, and Ryu felt the temperature dropping in the car.
— I'm sorry, — he said quietly. — I didn't want to hide it. I just didn't know when to tell you.
There was no answer. Only the headlights drawing the road like a blade.
Finally, Jihwan spoke:
— If I were in your place, I would have chosen caution too. And yes—I'm not angry.
— Really?
— Really. Because I will still be the one to kill Oh Rian.
Ryu flinched. The tone was calm, without threat, but something icy was heard in that calmness.
He didn't have time to respond before Jihwan suddenly added:
— And one more thing. The one at "Vermilion" is not Oh Rian.
— What?
— I'm sure of it. If he were standing in front of me, I wouldn't have stopped at one punch.
The corners of Jihwan's lips twitched, and Ryu didn't know if it was a joke or the truth.
— Then who is he?
— I think his successor. Or a shell. The real Oh Rian hasn't been out for a year. According to our data, he barely moves. Someone is doing this for him.
Ryu nodded silently.
The car abruptly turned off the highway, and he realized they weren't going home.
They stopped at a building that looked like an old technical hangar from the outside. A sign reading "Synchron Biotech" was rusting under a layer of dust. But inside, everything was different—soft light, the smell of coffee and cleanliness. It smelled like home.
— Do you live here? — Ryu asked.
— Sometimes. — Jihwan shrugged. — Fewer questions, more answers.
He led him down a narrow corridor to a room where four people were sitting around a round table: Oh Lae-ya, Yi Hun, Lo Dan, and So Raon. They all looked as if they had just been woken up, but their eyes were clear, strained.
Ryu stopped, feeling their gazes slide over him.
— Didn't you say you'd tell them later? — he whispered to Jihwan.
— Better now than tomorrow.
He sat down next to him.
— Thank you for coming, — Jihwan began. — It's a rough night, but the conversation is important.
— "Rough"? More like deadly, — Lo Dan grumbled, but smiled.
— Focus, — Yi Hun shot back.
Jihwan looked at Ryu and briefly explained:
— Today, someone from Neura Labs tried to kidnap Seonyeong. A vampire. Hypnotic attack. It almost worked.
Silence filled the room.
— He is not human, — Jihwan added. — That's why we are protecting Ryu. To the end.
Ryu raised his eyebrows.
— What?
— You are part of the equation, — Jihwan said firmly. — If the enemy is hunting you, then you are the key.
So Raon, sitting opposite, spoke calmly:
— Allow me to ask a question. Why did you return?
— What?
— You erased our memories and disappeared. And now you're sitting at this table again. Why?
Ryu fell silent, then looked directly into Jihwan's eyes.
— Because if I didn't return, you would die. And I... don't want that.
There was a long pause. Even the air seemed to thicken.
So Raon slowly nodded.
— Answer accepted.
Ryu blinked.
— And that's it? No suspicion, no questions?
— We saw what a person does when they genuinely want to disappear, — Doyeon said quietly. — If you wanted to run away, no one would find you.
He shifted his gaze to Jihwan.
— And you, it seems, are sleeping peacefully for the first time. So, yes. We believe you—for now.
Lo Dan quietly whistled, and Yi Hun just shook his head.
Ryu smirked.
— Then, maybe we should start with the main thing? With the fact that I can restore your memories.
All four lifted their heads.
Silence before the storm—and a slight, almost invisible movement in Jihwan's eyes, like the glint of light before dawn.